Love, you are taking a huge risk. I'm a big fan of Mexican evening primrose. Such a beautiful flower. But they should bloom in a ditch where they belong. Be very careful of introducing this thing anywhere near where you garden. It will bring heartache and irritable bowel syndrome. If this plant can find opportunity to annoy you, it will find it.

These came under the fence from my back neighbor's weed lawn. I planted some in a raised bed up by the house. Not any where near this area. About 75 feet away. Am I ever sorry. To the left is an even larger patch and they are so tall (2ft.)I am a bit fearful to walk through them. I just "know" there's a snake of 2 in there.

They are pretty, but they a fixing to get lasagned.

{{gwi:664974}}

Rose....I've had Mex Evening Primrose for about 3 years now and so far it hasen't been so bad. I just pull out the seedlings I don't want. I have not noticed that it spreads underground but instead by seed. The flowers are so lovely that I'm willing to do the extra work. I may regret planting it in years to come but for now its not a problem. Vikki

I have a love/hate relationship with it but it still has a place in my garden - I love the whimsical pink flowers and each spring do alot of pulling but still leave it here and there - it is a nice filler plant for me and will pop up in the strangest places. Nature seems to arrange plants better than I do anyway:)......

Lynne

Hmmm, it sounds too risky for me. Alas. I thought I'd found a solution to what to plant under the redbud. I have to plant something to choke out weeds. Right now it is pristine because I just weeded it all out, but soon thistles and oxalis and annual grasses will begin to fill the vacuum. Again.

Rosefolly

Oenothera, aka Mexican primrose, is a native desert plant where it behaves quite well on minimal rainfall. It's blooms grace the high desert that spreads out beneath my hilltop home. It becomes invasive when planted in garden beds that get regular water and more than a few inches of rain per year. And yes, it will spread it's seeds far and wide. : )

There are some new varieties that are said to be more manageable. You might want to check them out and forgo the native species unless you can assure it won't get ANY late spring or summer moisture.

Diana

Deer resistance? The deer devour every variety of Oenothera in my garden.

That settles it. What I need is a low growing, deer resistant, drought tolerant, non-invasive, pretty plant that is not oxalis. It does not need to flower, but it does need to shade out weeds.

No wonder the previous owner used landscape cloth and bark nuggets.

Rosefolly

Regarding cultivars or other more behaved varieties. They are just as bad. I tried 'Siskiyou' and 2 years later am still spraying roundup to get rid of it. It's worse then mint.

As said before, it's probably fine in a arid or desert situation with minimal water but with regular rain it is a rogue.

I have to say I have never understood the idea of planting something to "choke out" weeds. It almost never works, by the sheer vigor and persistency of weeds themselves. You'll never find a professional landscaper using such a hit-and-miss method.

Kill the weeds by whatever method works for you, THEN plant your groundcover.

I don't expect to choke out weeds. In fact I don't mind weeding -- often rather enjoy it. Good thing, I do quite a bit of it.

But nature truly does abhore a vacuum. Empty soil that has nothing growing on it will sprout weeds galore. I want to be the one who chooses what grows there. And planting the space densely with plants of my choice will leave less empty space for weeds to sprout, and less sunny to reach the few that do. As witness, I offer the rest of my garden, contrasted with the fields that surround it!

Rosefolly